Should I Offer a Trial for My Membership Site? | Member

Sep 16, 2022

Can I offer a Free Trial for My Membership Site?

The trial for membership websites is a marketing tactic used by countless others prior to your. Yes, you should certainly consider free trials in your marketing campaign. It could be profitable for your business. Provided, of course, that you use it the right way.

Trial offers have proven to be effective for numerous subscription-based firms, both online and offline.

Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Audible, PlayStation, and LinkedIn Premium, are some of the most popular subscription companies that provide a no-cost trial for their service.

Here's the catch; trials for free offer are not suitable for all. Like any other strategy for marketing however, it's not foolproof, and has the pros and cons of each.

For you to decide whether offering trial periods is the best strategy for your site The following are our suggestions in this piece:

Do Trials of Membership Sites a Good Idea?

trial for membership site

Yes. for many sites that offer membership trial offers are an excellent method to try. We have already established that.

It is an efficient and highly profitable strategy for your subscription-based product or website to increase revenue. Not to mention how it lowers your customer purchase costs.

But, is it an appropriate choice for you?

The decision to make is entirely on your preferences as well as your budget and strategies.

The trial period gives the prospective customers what you can provide instead of telling them what you have to offer.

Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars in advertisements, just give them a live preview or a demo of your service.

Put yourself in your customers in their shoes. Would you buy something just because the salesperson claims that it's fantastic? Do you want to see the product for yourself?

What would you do if you bought a car without taking a trial drive? And what about clothes you don't fit?

Similar to subscription-based companies. Your clients will see your product or service in the same way as investments.

It is for this reason that nearly every single one of them would want to try this for themselves.

Nearly every owner of a membership website would agree that offering a trial period gets more leads and helps convert sales at a faster and more rapid percentage. And it increases customer satisfaction.

However, not every trial offer is the identical. We'll look at every type of trial and explain what they have in common with one another.

The different types of Trials for membership sites

Here are some of the trials that to try:

  • A limited-time trial offer
  • Limited access trial Offer
  • Free-trial offer
  • Discounted-rate trial offer
  • A service-based trial offer.

It's the best thing about it is that there is no need to pick just one from the options. Try a mixture of two or many.

           Limited-Time Trial Special Offer          

With this type of offer for trial that you offer to your potential customers free access to all the content on your membership site for a short period of time.

You can offer a one-week time period, two weeks, or an opportunity to trial for 30 days to let them try your products or services no cost.

Furthermore, you can also make an offer for a limited time trial at an affordable price. Or, you can offer free services during their trial period if they commit to purchase a membership.

           Limited Access Trial Deal          

As with the limited-time trial, you are able to avail limited access with other promotions.

As an example, if you're offering an online class You can permit users to try out the lessons for a specific amount of time.

Or, if you're offering a trial of your product or service You can grant users access to just a few of the most basic features.

Pro tip: you can use CourseCure to create an easy-to-create completely customizable online course.

           Free Trial Offer          

free trial for membership sites

It's one of the most common trials offers we see today. It is often used along with restricted-access deals.

The name says the trial is free... free.

           Reduced Rate Trial Deal          

discounted rate trial for membership site

It doesn't have to be completely free. You could also make it available at a reduced price.

           Service-Based Trial Deal          

free service trial for membership site

Additionally, there are service-based trial offers where you can give your customers access to your services either for no cost or at a discounted rate for a short period of time.

Naturally, you'd want them to sign up to your site's membership after your trial, therefore make sure that the service your offering will be appealing enough that they stay hooked.

And make sure that you overdeliver once they do sign up.

Pros and Cons of Trials for Membership Sites

Just like with any type of marketing, trials for membership websites have pros and cons. Let's look at some of these.

           Pros of Trials for membership sites          

           Save $$$ on the Customer Acquisition          

customer cost per acquisition

If a person opts for a test period they are at the halfway point. It's the responsibility of you to make sure you can deliver what you promised to get them all the way in.

Most of the time you could allow your service or product to be sold by itself in the test period.

The good news is that, once they're inside the trial stage, it will save you hundreds of dollars as no additional marketing is necessary. But, this is only if what you're offering is enticing enough to make the person want to join as a full-time member.

           Higher Satisfaction of Customers          

customer satisfaction

Few people who take advantage of a no-cost trial will be devastated after the conversion since they are aware of the kind of experience they should expect based on their trial experience.

Such a degree of honesty helps you give your customers more transparency and prevents customers from setting unreasonable expectations. It also results in fewer claims and cancellations.

           Reducing their Fear of Engagement          

letting go of fear of commitment

The membership is a commitment. Most of the time people have the fear of committing themselves to a yearly or monthly installment.

With a no-cost or trial at no cost to your customers, you allow them to see the things they're not seeing and lessen the anxiety of committing to showing what they're not missing out on.

           Gather Feedback          

gathering reviews

Tests of membership websites can also be a great way to collect feedback on your services as well as your products.

It's the perfect opportunity to gather market feedback and valuable insight so you can make better and better business decisions.

           More Valuable Leads for Your Mailing List          

building email lists

A further benefit is that you can get more valuable leads. People have already taken the time to view your product , and try the product to see for themselves.

This means that they are already familiar with you and will likely consider becoming members after the trial period or sometime in the near future.

           Pros and Cons of Trials for Membership Sites          

While risks are inherently low when offering trial services but there are certain risks that are worth considering.

           Risk of losing Time Resource, Money and Time          

Before offering a trial for your membership website, be certain that you are able to decide whether your budget will allow it.

Also, you should consider those who are just trying to get in the trial period for free however they are not planning on signing up to be an active member.

You can try to minimize these dangers through implementing one or some combination of these suggestions:

  • Offer a discounted fee trial which is, you will still receive an amount of revenue to enable access.
  • Sort out who participates within the trial period You can ask your clients to complete a questionnaire or a quiz so it is possible to filter out who will be able to participate in the trial.
  • Limit the trial duration - it will take a lot of tests, but if you can discover the right duration to assist your clients to make an informed decision, that'll help you tremendously.

Is It Better To Use A Paid or Free Trial?

free or paid trial for membership site

The majority of trial offers run at no cost. However, that doesn't mean you should do it too.

You can always choose the discounted rate or even provide a trial with a minimal fee.

Instead of just offering them a free trial, consider offering a modest fee in order to encourage them to "buy-in" to your membership site.

The idea of charging a small fee is also an excellent option if you want to filter away those who are just trying to receive something no cost and also those actually interested in signing up to become members.

Ultimately, the answer will always be dependent on you.

What is the reason you should not Offer a Trial for Your Membership Website?

The answer will depend upon what you're offering.

If, for instance, you're providing an online class, a trial period isn't the best option. Because your customers might finish the whole course prior to the trial being over.

However, there is always an alternative to the issue. It is possible to protect this latter option or even a specific section of your course or even remove it from your test.

Another example will be if you're providing a service. As an example, say you're providing an opportunity to repair your garage free to members in their trial period.

You may want to consider an alternative strategy to the trial. You could also charge a minimal fee in order to offset the cost.

There is the possibility of offering you a base level of your membership site where trial members are able to access the scaled-down version of your entire offering.

In the simplest sense, it gets people inside your site's membership and community, which may encourage them to get an upgrade after the trial.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Offering a Trial

questions to ask yourself

Before jumping the gun on that trial offer There are a few questions you can ask yourself. These answers can help you make an informed decision.

  • How long should the trial period be? Your customers should have enough time truly test the waters and decide if what you're offering them is something that they won't be able to survive without. At the same time, you want to be sure it's not "too lengthy." ."
  • Are you able to afford this? Consider if providing people with the opportunity to access your product or your service is something you can afford and something that will benefit you in the long run.
  • How long will conversion take? When it comes to running a business, time is money. Consider the length of time that it will take for your trial members to become paying members.

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